Pope Says Strengths 'No Longer Suited' to Demands of Ministry
By Patricia Rice
In an announcement that surprised even his closest associates and flummoxed the Vatican chief spokesman, Pope Benedict XVI, 85, told a gathering of cardinals that he is resigning at the end of the month. He will not take part in the conclave for the election of his successor. He plans to move to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome when his resignation becomes effective. When renovation work on a monastery of cloistered nuns inside the Vatican is complete, Benedict will move there for a period of prayer and reflection. "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” he announced to the world’s cardinals. The printed statement was distributed from the Sala Stampa, the Vatican Press Office on St. Peter’s Square. "I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. "However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to steer the boat of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. "For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is." This reporter was in Rome on Jan. 6 and saw the pope at a distance of three feet when he was carried down the mains aisle of St. Peter's Basilica. I was impressed at how joyful he appeared. He peered into the eyes of the standing room only Epiphany Mass and ordination of four bishops. He has not walked down the long main aisle of St. Peter’s for a few years but is conveyed on a rolling platform. The pope kept his decision so closely held that his spokesman was not informed much ahead. Monday at noon Rome time The Rev. Federico Lombardi told the press there: "You will no doubt have many questions but I believe we will need a few days to organize ourselves because this announcement has taken us all by surprise." Later he added, “Pope Benedict XVI has given his resignation freely, in accordance with Canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law” and described Benedict’s planned living arrangements as pope emeritus. Despite early talk to the contrary, other popes have resigned but not in modern times. Benedict saw closely how difficult it was for the church to operate in the last few years of the reign of the very ill but determined Pope John Paul II, whom Benedict beatified – the second to last step before being declared a saint. Many applaud the pope's decision to defy tradition with what they see as humility, affection for the church and clear reasoning. "It shows his humility, knowing, that at his age, it may be difficult to keep up with all the duties," said the Rev. Jason Schumer, who studied in Rome during much of Benedict's pontificate. Schumer, who teaches liturgy at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shewsbury was ordained a priest in 2010. He has noticed the pope slowing down a bit, especially in the past year as compared with a few years ago. Bishop Edward Rice, who met with the pope twice last year in March and then in November, said that he noticed the pope a bit slower in November. However, Rice cautioned that might have been because the pope had just returned from a busy Middle East pastoral visit. "In resigning, Pope Benedict is being very pastoral, as he has been in his (tenure)," the Rev. James Swift, who has been a Kenrick-Glennon professor, said. He is doing this because he loves the church, has such respect for the people and does not want the church to struggle as he ages. He is not afraid. He is a man of great peace.” “The number of popes who may have resigned has been estimated as high as 10, but the historical evidence is limited,” said the Rev. Thomas Reese, the Jesuit political science professor who has written several books on the Vatican including “Archbishop - Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church.” He teaches at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. “Most recently, during the Council of Constance in the 15th century, Gregory XII resigned to bring about the end of the Western Schism, and a new pope was elected in 1417. Pope Celestine V’s resignation in 1294 is the most famous because Dante placed him in hell for it,” Reese said. In an interview in Light of the World, recently, Pope Benedict responded to a question about papal resignation: “Yes. If a Pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign.” It would have been a hard decision for Benedict. Most modern popes have felt that resignation is unacceptable. “As Pope Paul VI said, paternity cannot be resigned,” Reese said. “In addition, Paul feared setting a precedent that would encourage factions in the church to pressure future popes to resign for reasons other than health. Nevertheless, the code of canon law in 1917 provided for the resignation of a pope as do the regulations established by Paul VI in 1975 and John Paul II in 1996. However, a resignation induced through fear or fraud would be invalid. In addition, church canon lawyers argue that a person resigning from an office must be of sound mind. In 1989 and in 1994, John Paul II secretly prepared letters offering the College of Cardinals his resignation in case of an incurable disease or other condition that would prevent him from fulfilling his ministry, according to Msgr. Sławomir Oder, postulator of the late pope’s cause. The 1989 letter was brief and to the point; it says that in the case of an incurable illness that prevents him from “sufficiently carrying out the functions of my apostolic ministry” or because of some other serious and prolonged impediment, “I renounce my sacred and canonical office, both as bishop of Rome as well as head of the holy Catholic Church,” according to Reese. In his 1994 letter, the pope said he had spent years wondering whether a pope should resign at age 75, the normal retirement age for bishops, Reese said. He also said that, two years earlier, when he thought he might have a malignant colon tumor, he thought God had already decided for him. Reese said that then John Paul decided to follow the example of Pope Paul VI who, in 1965, concluded that a pope “could not resign the apostolic mandate except in the presence of an incurable illness or an impediment that would prevent the exercise of the functions of the successor of Peter.” “Outside of these hypotheses, I feel a serious obligation of conscience to continue to fulfill the task to which Christ the Lord has called me as long as, in the mysterious plan of his providence, he desires,” the letter said. In response to the news, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a St. Louis native, announced; “The Holy Father brought the tender heart of a pastor, the incisive mind of a scholar and the confidence of a soul united with His God in all he did. His resignation is but another sign of his great care for the Church. We are sad that he will be resigning but grateful for his eight years of selfless leadership as successor of St. Peter.” “Though 78 when elected pope in 2005, he set out to meet his people – of all faiths – all over the world. He visited the religiously threatened – Jews, Muslims and Christians in the war-torn Middle East, the desperately poor in Africa, and the world’s youth gathered to meet him in Australia, Germany, Spain and Brazil.” Dolan said. The New York cardinal also pointed to Benedict facing the abuse scandal: “As a pastor feeling pain in a stirring, private meeting at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, he brought a listening heart to victims of sexual abuse by clerics.“ Dolan continued that Benedict “often cited the significance of eternal truths and he warned of a dictatorship of relativism. Some values, such as human life, stand out above all others, he taught again and again. It is a message for eternity.” 'When to let go' “My reaction is one of gratitude, I think there is great wisdom here,” said the Rev. David Caron, a Dominican priest said. The former hospital chaplain will be installed as president of Aquinas Institute of Theology on April 15. “Pope John Paul II showed us how to die well. Benedict is showing us when to let go. Illness can impede the preaching of the Gospel. It is important to us to learn that even the pope has his limitations and poor health can impede the preaching of the Gospel.” He thinks the choice of date, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes which the Vatican years ago proclaimed as the World Day of the Sick, sends a strong signal to those with diminished skills. The news is such a stunning surprise that when Monsignor Michael Witt, professor of church history, at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary got a text message about it early this morning from a friend in Chicago he assumed it was a joke and replied in kind. Witt thinks it may become a wise tradition for popes to consider resignation for age or health, The job requires such energy, travel and pastoral attention. The pope had been cutting back on travel but never traveled as extensively as Pope John Paul II had. “This may be setting a trend,” Witt said at a Monday morning news conference organized by the St. Louis Archdiocese. This decision certainly will make future popes consider it when they become frail. He called it a “new chapter’ in papal history. “I feel glad for him,” Bishop Ed Rice, the St. Louis auxiliary bishop, said. “Glad that he will spend his twilight years (retired). He said that the pope, a scholar for much of his life who continued writing many teaching pastoral letters and books as pope, might continue to write and be with his brother and other family. Benedict is considered one the greatest theologians to sit in the chair of Peter in modern times. Rice recalled that while “contemplative” describes both John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, John Paul had been an actor and was at ease making off the cuff remarks in front of crowds and cameras. Showing the symptoms of his illness was another way of communicating the Gospel message, Rice said. John Paul was an example of suffering to the world. Part of Benedict’s decision must have come from observing Pope John Paul in his last years. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict, was one of John Paul’s closest advisers. Witt said that he knew how others “had to cover for him” in some Vatican decision-making. Witt said they believed that history may have made Benedict more determined to resign. Rice hopes that the conclave - the secret locked sessions of the world’s 120 voting cardinals in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican -- will be held and a new pope elected in time for Easter Sunday. They ballot on and on until one man receives two-thirds of the vote. The votes are burned each time. But when there is an election, no straw is added so the smoke is white not black and the world awaits the appearance on the balcony of the new pope. Neither Rice nor Witt would speculate about what cardinal might be elected as the next pope. With strong growth of the Catholic Church in Latin America and Africa, a cardinal from one of those continents certainly might be considered, Rice said. They shied away from the idea an American (press questions were specific about Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s chances) might be the next pope. Generally, because of the influence of challenges facing the United States, it is generally considered unlikely for an American to be elected pope, both men said. Witt quoted an old Catholic saying “He who enters the conclave as a pope (the favorite in the popular mind) leaves as a cardinal.” That is, the favorite rarely is elected. Rice and Witt said that they believe that the Holy Spirit inspires the cardinals to make the choice. Acting on abuse St. Louisan David Clohessy, the executive director of SNAP the largest network of survivors of those who have been abused by priests, is hopeful that Benedict might take some decisive action in the next week to clean the church of those priests who have abused children or those bishops who have sheltered abusive priests. He is “absolutely” sure the pope understands the issue well. “No one more than Benedict has more knowledge about the (scandal of clerical sex abuse) and no one has more power. So we still hope that in the days remaining the pope will use some of that power, now that he is free of any political considerations and other obligations to act,” Clohessy said. Clohessy acknowledged that this pope had long worked on the issue before he became pope and encouraged Pope John Paul II to take action in 2002 when the late pope was ailing and his physical efforts curtailed. “Benedict talked more than Pope John Paul did about” clerical sex abuse of minors, he said. “But talking is not enough, you have to take action to protect kids. So, it is hard to give him credit for addressing the public scandal when the revelations greatly increased during his papacy.” “We hope that the he next pope will take more action to protect kids.” The retirement means that most everything that Benedict does not do before the end of the month will be put on hold. The oversight of the Leadership Conference for Women Religious, the network of leaders of Catholic sisters orders in the United States, may go into hiatus. And reviews of bishops who did not follow church guidelines on removing clerical sex abuses for ministry may be on hold.
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